Wedding Plans, New Links and Stuff

Well the wedding plans are going along reasonably smoothly. So far we have the guest list 99% sorted, the venue planed, the registrar booked, the notices read and the honeymoon planned. I'm also planning to set up a website. This might seem a bit ott but its mainly becuase many people, especially on my side, are traveling from the deepest south.

In the mean time i've decided to start putting some information on this blog. So I have added some links to places of interest in around Marsden. The first is to the Marsden Jazz Festival. It won't be on during the wedding but its still a good introduction to Marsden. For some background history on Marsden there is the Marsden Local History Group site or Bellastown. For any one who wants to see some a slide show of some good photos taken in around Marsden Flickr has a group for the village.

If any passing soul knows of anything to do in around the area that I can add please either add a comment or send me a mail.

Goats Cheese Cannelloni with Cherry Tomatoes

J had to work all day at the stables yesterday so I decided to do the right thing and cook something nice for when she came home. Problem is that I love cooking and I especially love cooking meat. I am a full blown carnivore. J on the other hand is fully paid up member of the lentil eating sandle wearing vegetarian brigade. Actually I have to say she is far from the militant wing, more like CofE wing of the veggie world.

I do however strugle with what to cook, especially given that i'm hardly on speaking terms with most vegetables. So one of my fav cooks books comes to the rescue again, The Accidental Vegetarian. Simply a god send for a carnivore forced to cook veggie. It was written by Simon Rimmer who ended up buying a vegetarian reasturant called Greens in Manchester. Simon, who is not a chef and is a confirmed meat eater had to adapt quickly.

Last nights meal was so nice that I thought I would share it with the world, I'm nice like that. What i'm giving below is the bear bones of the meal as outlined in the book. However, this is great becuase it means its easy to make but also easy to experiment with. For examle along with the tomatoes you could add a variety of roasted meditarian vegetables. Add more tomatoes and a bit of basil.

Ingredients

This serves 4-6 with a salad. Otherwise adjust quantities as needed.

400g cherry tomatoes
Fresh thyme
Dash of balsamic vineger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
200g Riccota Cheese
150g Goats Cheese
150g Parmesan Cheese
100g Baby Spinisch Leaves
12 sheets of pasta; 12.5cm * 10cm
Shaved Parmesan

What to do with the ingredients

In a roasting dish heat up some olive oil in the oven at Gas Mark 7/220c/425f. When the oil is hot throw in the tomatoes and roast for about 10 mins. Then add the Thyme, Balsamic Vinegar, Garlic and seasoning. Roast the lot for another 15 mins. At the end of this time turn the heat down to Gas Mark 4/180c/350f.

Meanwhile you need to make the filling for the canelloni. For this wash and drain the Spinach leaves. If your me you will then want to shred the leaves a bit. Then mix in a large bowl the Parmesan, Riccota and Goats cheese. Add the spinich and seasoning.

Make your cannelloni. I use fresh lasagna sheets cut to size but you could use either dried sheets or even canelloni tubes if you like. The main thing i suppose is to end up with a tube in which to put your filling. If you are going to use dried pasta of any type your going to have to cook it first as there is not enough liquid in this recipe to cook the pasta.

Place a dollop of the filling on one of the sheets and then roll it into a tube. There you have your canneloni.

When the suace has roasted for the approriate time pour enough of the juice to grease the bottom of an oven proof dish and place your filed tubes into the dish. Then pour over the rest of the suace.

Return to the oven for 5 mins to heat through and serve with what ever you fancy.

Treebeard

Treebeard
Originally uploaded by SmithersJones.

In a vain attempt to get fit I'm going running at the moment. But to add insult to injury i then also went for a walk in the valley. The valley is probably only a couple of miles square but me and M still managed to get lost.

Its like some kind of rural tardis down in the valley. Every where you go there is another stream and and another little wooded glade. Its weird. Anyway this time we came across the tree in the picture. It was too early in the mroning for me to be drunk but thats a bloody face.

If i was in the habit of taking drugs this tree would have scared the hell out of me, instead its just creeped me out.

New Link

Just put a new link to another blog, Iozzi. He said something nice about one of my photos and his blog seems worth a read. He has recipes, any site with recipes is good in my book. So it seems worth a link to me.

Nothing to say really...

...I have been really lazy with this site recently. Mainly becuase on holiday I promised my self that I wouldn't get annoyed and pissed off with the things that happen in the world. I wanted to keep that pleasent relaxing calmness that you go on holiday to achive. I mean why spend all that money to get chilled out and then let the plonkers who seem to govern every aspect of life wipe it out for you?

Problem is that it seems to have killed my desire to babble on about the nothingness that happens. Oh well!

That said if any one wants to read anything they can try some of the other blogs linked here on the left.

Worst Pain in the World

Toothache, bloody toothache. At this moment in time i know i would not survive tortue. You want to know anything at this second i'm your man. You want to know the current troop deployments of the whole British Army I havent a clue but if it were to stop the pain i would get them for you.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

meteor

meteor
Originally uploaded by SmithersJones.

I only put this photo on flickr about 24 hours ago. During the day at work i checked out my photos (it was a quite day). I was gobsmacked that this photo had something like 4 comments and 20+ views. I dropped in every once in a while and was getting more and more views. The last time I looked 291 (sorry just looked again 296 now) people had viewed it within just over 24 hours, 6 people had marked it as a fav and 8 people had commented on it......erm wow.

Slide Show

Something I have been looking at doing for a little while but couldnt for the life of me work out how. A slide show of a set of my photos on Flickr. This set is all those photos that others have been kind enough to mark as favorites. Some I can't explian why some one likes it others I hope speak for themselves.

Flash Slideshow

No Woman, No Cry

Just going through my record collection to build up a play list for the wedding...I have no idea if any of these tracks will make it but its still a fun thing to do. Anyway, just played Bob Marley, "No Woman, No Cry." Man alive I'd forgotten how that song made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end.

Definitely up there as one of my all time top ten besty fav tracks.

Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain 1942

I recently picked up a little book called, "Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain 1942". Not exactly great literature but a fascinating read non the less. Its written in an informative way so that the arriving US soldier could adjust and not upset the natives too much.

With such sections as "No Time To Fight Old Wars" and "British Women at War" its short tour de force of diplomatic niceties. I'm not sure if its the style or its intentional but its actually quite moving and funny in a dry sense of humour way. For example, when talking about the fact that the US service men would encounter women officers, and explaining that that the British found no shame in following orders from a woman, talks of the fact that these women were effectively at the front line. Talking of the fact that women officers were bravely fighting, and dying, along side the men at the home front it states,

"...when you see a girl in khaki or air-force blue with a bit of ribbon on her tunic - remember she didn't get it for knitting more socks than anyone else in Ipswich..."

One part that struck me as very pertinent at the moment was entitled "Keep out of Arguments." Where it says,

In the pubs you will hear a lot of Britons openly criticizing their government and the conduct of the war. That isn't an occasion for you to put your two cents worth. Its their business, not yours. You sometimes criticize members of your own family - but just let an out sider start doing the same and you know how you feel.

It goes on to say, "its impolite to criticize your host; it is militarily stupid to criticize your allies." At this moment in time when America has just had its memorial day and it faces hard questions over Haditha I think its fair to remember that not so long back the US and the UK both suffered in a vital and just war. Now America is going to have to do a lot of soul searching if half of what is being said is true. I may disagree with the President of the US and the countries foreign policy, ours is not much different, but I have to have faith that for the majority within this country and the US that the following from the book is also true;

...there are important similarities - our common speech, our common law, and our ideals of religious freedom were all brought from Britain when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Our ideas about political liberties are also British and parts of our own Bill of Rights were borrowed from the great chapters of British liberty.

This may be idealistic bollocks, and I guess it was propaganda of a sort at the time, but I do think its time that we reexamine, and reclaim, the principles upon which the US was founded and the tradition of English freedoms and liberties that the revolutionaries thought they were fighting for. They are shared enlightenment traditions dating back to when England was regarded as a beacon of freedom across Europe. I think if we compare the way the US and UK are behaving at the moment in the light of the freedoms we claim to cherish we should question the validity of those governments. Its time those of us with a more positive view stopped swalling the politics of fear and we try and reclaim the politics of hope. I don't want to think what can my government protect me from, I want to think what my society can do.

6 Days until the worlds biggest sporting event

It is only 6 days until the worlds biggest sporting event kicks off. The FIFA World Cup kicks of in Germany on the 9th of June. The draw for which teams will play in which groups in the tournament already drew an audience of 28 Million world wide in December 2003 and the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea had total viewing figures of 28.8 Billion.

During this coming month for many people issues such as Iraq, Terriorism and Global Warming will become just back ground music. Many people around the world would struggle to find a problem with with the late Bill Shankey when he said that,

“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.”

In this country the the build up is starting to dominate. Houses and cars are festonded with the flag of St George. Much of England currently looks like a loyalist houseing estate in Belfast. The country seems to be gripped by the trials and tribulations of a 21 year old potato, Wayne Rooney, upon whose broken metatarsal the fate of this nation appears to rest.

I bring this up in order to say one thing. I DONT CARE!!!!!! I resent the fact that at the moment in this country if i happen to say to another man,

"I'm sorry I don't actually like football,"

I sware this is some how translated to,

"yes, at birth i decided to remove my testicles and puree my brain. My hobbies included eating children and placing babies on spikes. Oh and i want to introduce Islam by force."

I have seen conversations between two reasonably intelligent men derailed in a nano second by the phrase, "No I don't watch football."

It is not abnormal to get no pleasure watching 22 highly overpaid, overacting, moronic prima donnas who haven't even forgotten the meaning of the word sporting. They never knew it. Wanye Rooney, David Beckham etal are NOT fine examples of humanity. They are over grown self indulgent children in who in any other walk of life would be no hopers. But becuase of one percived talent they are venerated like little gods.

The worst of it is that I know that if England do well i will find my self, like i do every time, starting to take an interest and watching the games. But inside i will stand by every word i rant, "Go on my son, Eng-er-land, Eng-er-land, Eng-er-land....".